Jane refuses to go live with Rochester in the south of France as his mistress, choosing instead to lose him forever. Do her reasons have to do with her Christian morality, or with the lack of equality and respect she foresees in such an arrangement? He is older than she, and a member of the landed aristocracy, while she is young, penniless, and has no friends or family in the world. Discuss the complicated chapter in which he tries to explain himself for attempting to lure her into a bigamous marriage, and the scene in which she takes leave of him (Ch. XXVII).

In your Primary Blog Entry, you should respond to the questions above in a single entry. Your Secondary Blog Entry should respond to two of your colleagues' entries that are especially interesting to you.

Part One Expectations (respond to the prompt above): 200-250 words, 2 quotes from the novel, minimal errors in grammar and usage, thoughtful and thorough writing. Please use the assigned "pen name" given to you in class PLEASE FINISH BY THURSDAY NIGHT!

Part Two Expectations (read everyone's first responses, select two that interest you, and respond to their ideas): 100-150 words EACH, minimal errors in grammar and usage, thoughtful and thorough writing. Please use the assigned "pen name" given to you in class. FINISH BY SUNDAY NIGHT!

20

3/4/2015 01:33:10 pm

In Chapter 24 when Jane decides to leave Rochester and Thornfield behind, I believe it’s because of her fear in marrying him only being solidified by her discovery of Bertha Mason. Overall, this chapter was filled with pleading and heartbreak all to fall on deaf ears as Jane leaves even though Rochester explains himself and his past. Rochester’s story intrigued me because it seemed to me as if his father and brother sacrificed him by almost forcefully wedding him to someone who they knew had a family with mental disorder who would soon exhibit signs of it herself, just so they could keep Rochester out of the inheritance “My father and my brother, Russell, knew all this, but they thought only of the thirty-thousand pounds, and joined in the plot against me” (Bronte 355). Even after hearing Rochester’s story as to why he was with Bertha, it seemed to me that Jane saw Bertha as almost a representation of what marriage to Rochester might be like: Her forced to be captive because his status and her dependence on him because of his wealth. She was simply afraid of being restrained and not being able to act or think the way she wanted and also because she’d technically only be a mistress to him as long as Bertha was alive. She cared for Rochester but she didn’t want to sacrifice her dignity in agreeing to stay with him, she stated “The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained, I am, the more I will respect myself” (Bronte 368). So I believe she left Rochester to sort of discover herself and see where she will stand with possibly marrying Rochester.

7

3/5/2015 05:19:59 am

I question whether Rochester was truly innocent in his mad wife, it seems as if the second she started to act like her mother he chose to imprison her. It must be said maybe Rochester knowing that she could be crazy led him to view her in that light, obsessing over every incident, comment, and outburst rather than trying to help her. And being locked up and kept a secret could have drove her mad. Not knowing anyone and being cared for by a drunk, people view bertha as a burden but maybe she is a victim as well.

15

3/8/2015 09:27:08 am

I agree with your statement. Based on the next chapter, she definitely seems as if she is trying to rediscover herself and test her limits. I also agree that Mr. Rochester’s father and brother were plotting against him by forcing him to marry. Oddly, I believe that Jane should have ran off to France with Mr. Rochester. No further harm is being done and Mr. Rochester has clearly explained himself. I don’t see the point of her trying to rediscover herself. She has already proven to herself that she is unlike other women at the time. It seems to me that she is just nervous of what lies in her future and uses that as an excuse to run away.

8

3/8/2015 10:39:04 am

I don't think Rochester has an excuse to control women because of his "daddy issues." I question whether or not he truly loves Jane because being with her is taboo and out of the norm because she is a governess and he, from the aristocracy. By being with her, it's like he's intentionally flipping off society's rules and his father's wishes to marry someone of his class, just for his satisfaction. I agree with you that Jane foresaw her marriage with Rochester when she found out about Bertha, how easy it was for him to manipulate his wife and control her life. The moment he realized that she had a mental illness, he could have left her in her own country, but he decided to take action by locking her up, which shows that he likes having power and control over things that are inferior to him.

4

3/8/2015 04:57:01 pm

I completely agree with your statement. Rochesters Father & Brother only sought after the money in Rochesters marriage they were of no concern of Bertha's family history of mental illness. As for Jane I thought the same thing about her questioning how life would be with Rochester. Rochester basically kept Bertha captive because to him she was "crazy" but was she crazy all along, or was Rochester's inhumane treatment what made her mentally ill.

7

3/5/2015 05:08:51 am

In this section Jane resolves to leave her love and find another life. In the chapter Jane appears to be very torn, Rochester is the only man who’s ever treated her with love on this level and she doubts that she will ever find this again. On the other hand from the start of their engagement Jane has been apprehensive. This is apparent from the way she desperately rights to her uncle to try and claim herself as his heir so she might have some value as Rochester does. Jane’s actions speak to her fears, and so does he subconscious as she has nightmares of the child and fears of the orchard tree. Her doubts bubble up from her past and drive the final wedge between Jane’s love for Rochester and her fear of imprisonment. I think in this way bertha is a real manifestation of Jane’s fears. Jane never had real freedom until she left Lowood and came to Thornfeild and now Rochester wants to put her into a marriage that would leave her permanently reliant, inferior, and trapped in an unpaid debt. This cage is what bertha has been living in all her life. I can’t help but connect Bertha to that young panicked girl in the red room so desperate and manic that she thought she might die, that little girl who begged of those who entrapped her and received no mercy. The idea of bertha and being imprisoned has haunted Jane her whole life, Jane can resolve that it was morals or that she wanted respect “I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself.” But she was scared, as scared as the little girl locked in the room were kindness died.

5

3/8/2015 08:42:13 am

I liked how you drew parallels between the red room and Bertha being trapped like in a cage. I never thought about the red room until this comment. I definitely agree that thegirl that went crazy for a moment in the red room could easily happen again. I also agree that when Rochester just wanted her to be his mistress really was the final blow to their relationship. She was already apprehensive about their marriage and so were other characters like Mrs. Fairfax. For a big part of her life her freedom was restricted and was treated unfairly and I think Jane doesn't want to live that kind of life anymore. She wants to go off on her own and not be like a little pet to Rochester. She makes the right choice to leave her lover.

#7

3/8/2015 10:28:09 am

I love how you mentioned the red room in your post. Jane seems to feel sorry for Bertha and realizes that she doesn’t want to live her life like that. When Jane was locked in the red room she started to go a little bit crazy, so she sees how much damage Bertha has gone through. Jane doesn’t want to be someone Rochester can control. She wants to be someone who is independent and isn’t restricted. Jane makes the choice to leave in order to save her identity and to be free for once in her life.

17

3/8/2015 02:47:10 pm

I love how you pointed out the similarities between Bertha and Jane in the red room. In a way I feel like Jane can sympathize with the isolation that Bertha is currently experiencing. She understand how isolation can cause someone to become temporarily or completely insane. Jane possibly sees someone who is struggling to break free from their imprisonment. Jane could also see the ill affect that Mr. Rochester has on women and decided that she shouldn't subject herself to his manipulative ways. I think that you could relate the Reeds to Rochester in the way that they either do or could restrict her freedom and self-expression. They are also of higher stature and therefore had a stronger influence.

9

3/5/2015 10:49:08 am

During these chapters, Jane desire to stay with Mr. Rochester because she truly loves him; however, love has not blinded her to see the reality of her situation. Mr. Rochester, in the previous chapters, was constantly hiding his past and secret from Jane and up until their wedding ceremony was when he decides to tell her about Bertha, his “first” wife. Obviously, this would stir a sick feeling in any bride-to-be gut thus making it reasonable for Jane to “act against [Mr. Rochester] as well as her wishes” (348). Even before the truth came out, Jane was beginning to question their relationship by asking for her Uncle’s opinion on the situation and resisting Mr. Rochester’s attempts to shape her into a product of society: a typically wife.

As a side thought, Jane states “we were born to strive and endure” (368). I felt like each action represented the life of each character, Mr. Rochester and Jane. Mr. Rochester came from a family of wealth thus allowing him to strive in life; while Jane was raised in a household where she was unwanted and had to endure various types of cruel punishments. This contrast between these two characters adds on to why Jane was questioning if they were meant to be. They both came from different lifestyles, but even though they connected emotionally and spiritually, there upbringing will forever restrict them.

13

3/6/2015 08:41:57 am

I agree that jane is not afraid to see the truth When it comes to Rochester and surly is not afraid to show him her feelings towards anything really but I think reason why Jane used to be so interested because there was always little information told about him and his past, as though his life its just this huge secret!

3

3/5/2015 11:57:54 am

I believe the reason Jane refused to go with Mr. Rochester had to do with her faith and with the fact that she realized her rational thinking was being clouded by her love for him. She says “I will hold to the principles received by me when I was sane, and not mad-as I am now.” In this quote we see that Jane is trying to hold onto her reason. She still loves Mr. Rochester and wants to be with him, but she wants to do what is right. She knows that Mr. Rochester has a certain control over her, but tries to break it in this scene. From the beginning of this reading we can see that Jane was uneasy with getting married to Mr. Rochester. She kept on having dreams of their love being ruined, of him leaving her. All of this was her rational side telling her to see reason. I believe she is listening to it now. But along with wanting to be rational I believe she doesn't go because her values are all she has. It is the only thing she has held onto when she was younger. I believe that her beliefs have to do with Helen Burns. When Helen burns died she told Jane she was going to heaven because she has followed God’s commands. Jane has faith because of her friend. She holds onto it because as she said “…what would be their worth? They have a worth, so I have always believed”. She wants to follow her beliefs because if she doesn't then she is saying they have no worth.

6

3/6/2015 04:52:00 am

I think that Jane's religion and her morals are important to her, but I don't think that that's the main reason that she left. Jane has never had anyone in her life that's loved her for a long period of time; her parents died, her uncle died, her aunt tortured her, and her only friend Helen died, so that uneasy feeling, and those nightmares are being caused by James subconscious. It's that voice in her head saying "who in the world loves you" because nothing's ever gone your way so why would it now?

9

3/8/2015 01:37:59 pm

I agree that part of the reason why Jane did not leave with Mr. Rochester was because of her rational side taking over, but I believe it has little to nothing to do with faith. Jane's upbringing shaped into the young woman she is during this situation and alongside with those she experience different aspects of life. With this experience, she is able to see the acts of reality and how her relationship with Mr. Rochester could never accept.

17

3/8/2015 03:35:33 pm

I agree that Jane has been blinded by her love or admiration for Rochester. She has always been a very rational girl, with cut and dry beliefs. However, Rochester enflames her already outspoken nature. He also attacks her naivety and is known to be manipulative. I think that she has become too taken by Rochester, as Mrs. Fairfax earlier notices when she compares Jane to a “pet.” Mrs. Fairfax’s warning had a significant impact on her stance of their relationship and seemed to renew her independence and perhaps her Christian morals and pride. This slowly removes her blindfolds and with the compounding issues, Jane finally let’s go, which is for the best.

14

3/5/2015 12:33:30 pm

In chapter 24 Jane was very tore to make one of the hardest decisions, which is to leave Rochester and start a whole new life. I believe Jane made this decisions based on her own morals and beliefs, Rochester, tells Jane how he would treat her like the upper class, by getting her jewels and all those nice things. But Jane who doesn’t have many friends, no family and not much money declined because Jane takes pride in her self and those things that don’t define but are apart of her like her independence and simplicity. Jane clearly loves Rochester but does not want to be like any other wife in this time period and live by her husbands name and that is her only way of recognition kind of like Cleófilas from “Woman Hollering Creek.

8

3/8/2015 11:09:03 am

I agree that Jane does not want to indulge in the benefits of wealth and marrying someone from the upper class, but that is not the only thing Jane is afraid of. She fell in love with him because they both spoke to each other as if they were equals, despite the difference in social classes. No one has ever respected her like he has, but after hearing about his past love affairs and Bertha, she realizes that she could be just another one of his mistresses. He attempts to bribe her to stay with luxurious items, such as the veil. When she left, she did not take it with her because of her pride. She didn't need riches, she wanted a relationship where both partners respected each other.

11

3/8/2015 11:49:02 am

Their views attest to their upbringing: where the aristocracy aim to increase their rank and wealth by marriage, while the lower classes, which don’t have means of upgrading, marry for love more often. The poor see each other as equals no matter the situation. Jane thought this barrier was destroyed between them, but his class and life call for control, reminding her of the Red Room. Seeing Bertha as herself, she denied her heart the fever. She didn't want to rise in class as much as being loved genuinely. Rochester the Pimp doesn't supply.

13

3/8/2015 04:40:11 pm

I agree she totally left based on morals and I also think she left because Jane noticed a trend with Rochester and that was every woman that he has either had to or just simply known on an intimate level he ends up bad mouthing them and either making them look crazy like Bertha or string them along like Ingram. And based off all this she knows that in her heart she can't be this mans mistress no matter how strong the connection because in the end, I think she will never truly be happy with him or anyone for that matter if shes just their wife or mistress , she doesn't want to be standard because frankly she isn't!

12

3/5/2015 12:35:18 pm

Jane leaves Thornfield and the one person who truly loved her because she was at a point where she had to choose between what her heart wanted and what was really happening. Although she did not want to leave, the amount of pain she was enduring caused her to feel an over abundance amount of guilt for the decision she waned to make, She wanted to stay. Although Mr. Rochester is of higher status than she was, what potentially fueled her decision to run away was the fact that she cannot cope with being married to a man who was once med before. She is devastated with this profound news. "Drearily I wound my way down stairs. I knew what I had to do, and I did it mechanically (Bronte 372). Jane's departure depicts the effect of shattered love and what happens when what is meant to be isn't always what is going to happen. The love she has for Mr. Rochester is strong but not as strong as her ability to care for herself and know that going through with the marriage would cause even more controversy and pain to her than she is already tangled up in. Jane even confides in the readers acknowledging her pain. 'Gentle reader, may you never feel what I then felt! May your eyes never shed such stormy, scalding, heart-wrung tears as poured from mine! (Bronte 374)"

20

3/8/2015 05:12:16 am

I agree with you 12, in your statement about how Jane had to choose between what she wanted and what was realistically going to happen if she did stay with Rochester. I also agree with how you said she couldn't marry a man who was already married, I think that this really stemmed down to the fact that even if she married him, that she’d only be a mistress to him since he still had Bertha as his wife and that predicament wouldn’t slide with Jane because of her strong will and refusal to be dominated by someone else because of status.

19

3/5/2015 12:55:08 pm

I strictly believe that Jane refuses to leave with Mr. Rochester because of the respect she has for herself. Throughout the novel, it’s made quite obvious that Jane is an individual who wants to remain true to herself, which is why I believe she doesn’t want to go. This is supported in the different situations when she rejects Rochester’s gifts. In addition she doesn’t want to become another mistress and follow in their same footsteps which would entail being considered a past mistake by Mr. Rochester “If I were so far to forget myself and all the teachings that had ever been instilled into me…to become the successor of these poor girls, he would one day regard me with the same feeling…” (Bronte 362). I also believe that morals do play a role in her decision because she was raised conservatively and becoming a mistress would undermine what she learned from childhood and beyond. Jane isn’t necessarily someone who cares what others think of her, but she is very critical of herself and I believe going with Mr. Rochester would leave her with regret in the long run. Also, I believe Mr. Rochester’s justification for his actions do not set her at ease. She immediately questions whether he would do the same to her if she also became unwell “If you were mad do you think I should hate you? I do, indeed, sir” (Bronte 350). Even though Jane loves Rochester, his coolness toward his actual wife is off-putting to Jane and leaves her quite disturbed.

3

3/8/2015 11:54:05 am

I wouldn't say she left Mr. Rochester out of respect for herself. From what she said in the reading she left him because despite the fact that she loves him, it would be morally wrong. Jane knows it would be wrong to be with a married man. Along with this is the fact that Jane got answer to her fears. She kept on having dreams telling her that she shouldn't marry Rochester, so this answer finally confirmed her fear. Yes she respects herself, but I don't believe that is what motivated her to leave him. It has to do with all the signs that their love ended with no happy endings.

17

3/5/2015 01:16:09 pm

Jane has always had strong Christian morals, and normally follows what society expects from her. She has her own firm opinions about right and wrong and I believe that is why she decided to leave Mr. Rochester. Before she had declared they were equal before God, she had her doubts that their relationship should work due to its rarity and not being the norm for society. Even after she agrees to marry Rochester, she still has her doubts in the form of strange dreams. “I was sure it was you; and you were departing for many years, and for a distant country” (Bronte 329). Her fears and doubts were enough to haunt her dreams as if warning her that their marriage wouldn’t be a prosperous one. So, finding out that Mr. Rochester was already married to Bertha reaffirmed her beliefs that it wasn’t meant to be. Her Christian moral and her pride would forbid her from becoming a mistress and making a fool out of herself. She will instead respect herself and “keep the law given by God, sanctioned by man” (Bronte 368). Even if she has to leave the man she loves, she knows that it wouldn’t be right to stay and does so. However after her departure she does feel some remorse and doesn’t find any “solace from self-approbation, none even from self-respect” (Bronte 373), she doesn’t turn back and keeps going forward, despite being poor and alone.

15

3/8/2015 09:18:09 am

I disagree with your statement about that the fact that her Christian morals impacted her decision on Mr. Rochester’s proposal. Jane has never really cared for Christianity because she believes that it gives people like Helen false hope. I believe Jane denies Mr. Rochester because of her own inability to cope with a title of mistress. Such a title would belittle her self-pride despite all the money it comes with. In addition, it would be as if she had never left Gateshead. If she had moved to France under such a title, she would always feel as if she is not an equal to Mr. Rochester like when she wasn’t considered an equal to the Reeds.

#7

3/5/2015 01:17:38 pm

After Jane found out about Bertha, she became very heartbroken, “my eyes were covered and closed; eddying darkness seemed to swim round me” (Bronte 344). This made her question whether she should leave Thornfield or not. After she finally came out of the room she locked herself in, Mr. Rochester asks her to leave with him to the South of France. Jane declines this offer because she feels as though she is nothing more than Mr. Rochester’s mistress. Her decision to leave him is based on her renewed interest with God and the lack of equality she will be showed throughout the marriage. After Jane locked herself in a room, she realized that she had no strength left and the only thing she could do is pray, “one idea only still throbbed lifelike within me—a remembrance of God” (Bronte 344). Her new found interest in God gave her the strength to realize that no good will come out of their marriage. Jane is very head-strong and independent and doesn’t want to risk losing her identity and equality in this marriage. Even though she loves Mr. Rochester very much, she knows she has to leave him because he didn’t tell her about Bertha. This results in making him dishonest and untrustworthy. Jane in this scene realizes that she is simply a mistress to Mr. Rochester making it easy for him to stop loving her whenever. Jane says to him “You will forget me before I forget you.” (Bronte 368) showing how in his eyes she is most likely just another girl he fell in love with. Mr. Rochester admitted that he did fall in love with Bertha before he began to hate her causing Jane to worry if the same thing will happen to her and resulting in her making the decision to leave.

19

3/8/2015 08:25:21 am

I liked your comment because it acknowledged how Jane views herself and the type of effect leaving with Mr. Rochester would ultimately have on her conscience. Jane has always felt hesitation regarding her relationship with Mr. Rochester; so leaving with him to be his new mistress is absolutely not going to be something that she can just accept. I mean she could barely accept the extravagant gifts Rochester bought for her, so I can’t imagine her accepting the title of “mistress”. Also, I agree with your comment on how Rochester portrayed himself as dishonest. Jane seemed unsettled when she kept the secret of the fire, Mr. Mason, and being left in the dark about the way he acquired his wealth. I believe that this last secret was ultimately the straw that broke the camel’s back.

5

3/8/2015 08:50:01 am

I liked how you brought up the point that Rochester will forget Jane before she can forget him and that he did love Bertha once but now hates her. I think that was a big blow to Jane emotionally because during this scene she makes several points about how she loves him and that it's hard for her to leave him. Jane is starting to realize that the "honey moon" phase will wear off soon. She also becomes more religious and puts her faith in God. She looks to God because that's the only thing that she can trust at the moment. Everyone in her life so far has pretty much her. She knows that this marriage will do her no good and could make her become just like Bertha. Jane is such a headstrong and independent person that being someone's mistress is absurd to her. Jane knows that's not what a marriage or a relationship should be like.

9

3/8/2015 01:49:10 pm

After Mr. Rochester past got revealed, and the question whether Jane would stay with Mr. Rochester or leave was brought up; it highlighted her transition. Not a transition to the future, but from the present to the past. Before Jane met Mr. Rochester, she was much leveled headed and understood how twisted life could be to someone of low class. However, after being employed at Mr. Rochester's residence, her mindset got hazy thus resulting in Jane unintentionally hurting herself by thinking that she could live a "happily ever after". So when she begins to question if she should leave Mr. Rochester, it is bringing back her past views and values that were stripped away due to Mr. Rochester influence. It’s like she took one step forward, when she was happily in love; then two steps back, going back to her old ways by "isolating" herself from experiencing the good things in life.

12

3/8/2015 03:50:42 pm

I enjoyed reading this because you really cracked it down to Jane's beliefs and faiths and how it ultimately tied in and influenced her decisions to leave although she clearly made it evident that it was completely against her wishes. I also agree with how you mentioned her impression that she was just another girl that Rochester fell in love with (This is worded weird, I agree that by what she said, it seems like she believes that she is just an ordinary girl to Rochester, not that she actually is one). You really closed in on the fact that Jane's regards are for herself right now, despite the fact that she is in a whirlwind of emotions right now.

5

3/5/2015 01:47:03 pm

Rochester was the only man that Jane had ever loved and finding out his secret leaves her heartbroken. Finding out about Bertha and how he married her made her second guess her marriage. She feels as it’s best for her and Rochester to part. She doesn’t want to end up locked away like Bertha is. I think this scene is really interesting because you can tell that she is absolutely torn inside. She says how she truly loves him, but she “must not show or indulge the feeling; and this is the last time she must express it” (Bronte 352). It’s hard for her to say goodbye, but she knows that she needs to move on because if she agreed to be locked away, she might end up going crazy. I thought it was funny when he didn’t take it seriously and thought she was joking around and also how near the end of the chapter he kept asking if she really was leaving. Rochester was kind of delusional or too in love with Jane to think that she would stay with him, especially since Jane is so headstrong and educated. Even until her last second of departure she still keeps this governess and master relationship. “God bless you, my dear master” (Bronte 370).

20

3/8/2015 04:56:45 am

I agree with your statement on how knowing about Bertha contributed to Jane leaving and also how Rochester thought she might’ve been joking about leaving since he asked if it was really true so many times at the end of the chapter. But I disagree with the statement saying that she would be locked away like Bertha if she married Rochester. I think what Jane was merely afraid of was ending up only as a mistress to Rochester since his wife was still around, therefore degrading her by title and also to the fact that Rochester might treat her lowly like he did to Bertha, not necessarily lock her up.

19

3/8/2015 08:20:57 am

I agree with your comment because Jane does seem to be torn about the entire situation. Jane is already aware of how secretive her fiancé can be and then to find out that he’s married and has locked away his wife; it’s too much for her. I believe that Jane does care for Mr. Rochester otherwise her decision wouldn’t have been met with such apprehension, but she knows that her own interests are what need to be considered because Rochester has obviously done this numerous times. I also think that Rochester didn’t take Jane’s leaving seriously because he’s not used to women ending the relationship and having such control over their decisions.

12

3/8/2015 03:55:44 pm

Her calling him Master still somehow makes me question everything about the two of them. Although it is evident that Jane and Rochester have mutual feelings, it seems like whenever Rochester expects something to happen or expects his persuasions to work, he is genuinely surprised when things don't turn out the way he thought them to be. Yet, though all of this Jane still finds it extremely hard to departure from this and him. Doesn't this say a lot about her, though? She's finding it so hard to leave a place that isn't even that great, where there's a crazy lady the man she loves is married to and people who treat her so rudely. It's interesting what she has to thinking about letting go when to most people, it doesn't seem like much.

4

3/5/2015 02:53:41 pm

Jane's decision to leave Thornfield rather than run away with Rochester was a difficult decision. Rochester had reasons of his own to not get married such as his past with Bertha. Jane's reasons for leaving had nothing to do with her Christian morality, it had more to do with her feelings after Rochester changed their plans. Although she immediately forgave him; when he changed his mind from getting married to simply running away with him as a "mistress"..Jane had to question her self worth. Jane knows she has nothing and nobody but herself, so for Rochester to flip the script on her like he did she had to leave for herself. "Who in the world cares for you? Or who will be injured by what you do?" Still indomitable was the reply—"I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself."(ch.27) Jane had to stop thinking about Rochester for once and had to think about what could take place if she did agree to Mr.Rochester's plan. Rochester could very well "play" her like he did the other mistresses...I mean technically he was initially attracted to them all...but no of course "they aren't like me (Jane)" she could've thought to herself. She might not ever find somebody she cares for like him, but does she really want to be sequestered from society...the society she wants to defy, the society she thought her relationship could possibly change? Jane's decision was a tricky one...maybe she shouldn't have left as suddenly as she did, but perhaps if she stayed she could've been persuaded by Rochester's suave personality.

#7

3/8/2015 10:07:01 am

I like how you brought up Jane’s self-worth and I totally agree with your statement. If Jane were to run away with Rochester, it would go against her morals. This was a tricky situation for Jane for she didn’t know whether or not she could trust Rochester anymore. Jane loves him, but she is not willing to change who she is to run away with Rochester just to become a mistress. Jane has been treated badly all of her life and she doesn’t want that to happen anymore. She knows that if she were to go with Rochester there is a big chance for her to be treated badly again and that is a chance that she simply cannot take.

11

3/5/2015 03:01:23 pm

Jane’s choice is not based on Christian morals, as she has been throwing that conscience to him before his revelation. The most common phrase describing their relationship is ‘I obeyed’(Brönte 323), in which her former independence was shifted to him. It is sadly due to facing a void of compassion that he played on, trying to make her his mistress. In tears she realized that it was not mutual love, but more like that of John Donne’s “The Flea”, a clash of societal wills.
He is quick to ditch a girl with flaws he can’t stand, like Bertha Mason’s “dumbness”, and even mentioned Jane’s upset state rather than comfort her at first. ‘For how long [will you leave], Jane? For a few minutes while you smooth your hair, which is somewhat dishevelled, and bathe your face, which looks feverish?' (Brönte 352). Independent Jane is independent, and chooses freedom over passion, despite Mr. Rochester’s sob stories of rejecting a women. How can she stay with someone who will, at the turn of emotion, just abandon her for another. It was honestly hard to stay in my seat at how nonchalant he was at admitting about his wife, as if women are things to aquire and exchange.

3

3/8/2015 11:59:17 am

I don't believe that Jane left Mr.rochester because she realized he doesn't love her. We can see right away that they have a connection and never once has it really been physical. Yes he is dominat, but I believe this has to do with how things were during this time period. In this time period men were the dominat ones, the females had to exert their dominance in sitthe ways so they wouldn't imasculate their husbands. Also their love story has never been normal. They are attracted to each other because they are both blunt with each other and are outsiders in society. Mr. Rochester does love Jane, but isn't the average man, translating into him loving her in a not so average way.

13

3/6/2015 08:22:58 am

In chapter 24 mr.rochester tries to convince Jane to move to France and be his mistress but tells him no. I was confused at first but then it clicked she doesn't wanna be just another mistress or another wife she wants to be more than that so she did what she needed to and left. Jane has delt with loosing everyone she has ever loved , her father , her friend and her uncle and I feel that she realized that she has delt with so much hpin her life that she couldn't be just another female that Rochester would speak ill about . Rochester tries to minipulate Jane into thinking he's not a rake when in fact he's the biggest one of them all , he locks Bertha up , this making her insane , then he strings along ingram and just straight up humilates her. And Rochester speaks of them in such a bad way and Jane doesn't wanna end up like that. But she i think apart of her still thinks she's not good enough "and If God had gifted me with some beauty and much wealth I should have made it as hard for you to leave me as it is now to leave you".

15

3/8/2015 09:05:26 am

Jane’s refusal to travel with Mr. Rochester is largely due to the fact that as a mistress she will never be classified as an equal to her, at least by technicality. I don’t believe that her response had anything to do with her religious belief. After all, she has always been repulsive to Christianity. This is evident when she witnessed the suffering of Helen, her friend who suffered a painful death despite her devoted Christian faith. Jane’s refusal is entirely a result of her pride. By becoming a mistress, she would be in the same situation as she once was in “red room of Gateshead”. Despite the money and love that Mr. Rochester possesses, she still would be trapped as far as expression and mentality (371). Marriage would have proven to her that despite society’s expectation, a woman of her caliber can propel herself into a position where she is considered of equal standards. By being a mistress, she is admitting defeat. A defeat in which she accepts that one of lower social status can be cast to the side and be underappreciated by society.
Jane also refuses Mr. Rochester’s proposal because the title of “mistress” only spark a sense of temporality. Like with the previous relationship between Celine and Mr. Rochester, such a title doesn’t establish the indication of a prolonged love story. Instead it only strikes readers a quick sexual fling. Jane doesn’t envision this type of future for herself. For if she is only a mistress, nothing between her and Mr. Rochester is actually serious. This is why Jane Eyre must “denounce [her] love and idol”; for if she accepts a title as mistress, the “kindling in pure, powerful flame [that] fuses you and me in one” will cease to exist because she will no longer be of an equal.

4

3/8/2015 05:07:52 pm

I agree ! Why would Jane want to revert back to the situation of the red room. Jane is too prideful to lower herself even though she knows she isn't the prettiest, richest, etc. Jane wants to continue to be herself. She doesn't want to end up a "hostage" of Mr. Rochesters cycle. This cannot be just a fling for her and for Rochester to suggest such a thing breaks her heart. Him putting this offer on the table only showed Jane he no longer views them as the same. Was he truly in love with Jane of the idea of someone different that could possibly change his depressed state. After learning his past she knows she cannot be another mistress & decides she must leave at once. Leaving was the best decision for her because in a way she was like Bertha...and could possibly literally end up like Bertha.